TONY: Hey, everyone, this is Tony. Before we start today’s conversation, I want to give you a quick heads up. At the very end of this episode, I’m going to share a piece of music that’s very close to my heart—my newest hit song. If you’ve ever seen those four words on every coin and every dollar in the US, hearing them on a song gives them a whole new weight. So stick around to the very end. I can’t wait for you to hear it.
Welcome back to the podcast. Now, we’re living in a time where a lot of people are working harder than ever. Sound familiar? And they’re feeling less certain than ever. Economic confidence is uneven. Consumers are cautious. Markets are shifting. Technology is moving faster than most businesses can realistically keep up with, and leaders are being asked to make bigger decisions with less margin for error. I mean, its coming fast. Just listen to my last episode about AI and the changes that have been made. It’s incredible.
And after more than a decade of conversations with entrepreneurs, executives, and builders at every level, here’s what I see very clearly: Most people aren’t stuck because they lack talent. They’re not stuck because they’re lazy. And they’re not stuck because they don’t care. They’re stuck because they don’t have clarity. Too many options, too much noise, too many ideas pulling in different directions. You know what I mean? And without clarity, even good effort gets scattered.
Well, today’s episode is going to be quite different. Instead of bringing on a guest, I want to walk you through the framework that has guided my own journey and has helped me make sense of what actually works in the real world. It’s called the Vision Map, and my goal today isn’t to motivate you. It isn’t to sell you anything and it isn’t to overwhelm you. My goal is to help you think more clearly about where you are, why you’re there, and how to move forward in a way that’s grounded, practical, and sustainable. So if you’re building a business, leading a team, or trying to create something meaningful, especially in uncertain times, this episode is for you. Let’s begin.


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INTERVIEW – PART 1 (THE BIRTH OF THE VISION MAP)
TONY: Now, normally at this point, I’d be welcoming a guest. You know, someone who’s spent years building something or mastering a very specific craft. Well, today the expertise we’re exploring is something a little different. As I mentioned, it’s about vision. Not the inspirational kind, the usable kind. The kind of vision that helps you make decisions. The kind that brings order to chaos, the kind that actually leads somewhere.
So instead of introducing a guest, I’m going to share the journey that shaped my own thinking, starting from where I came from and how the Vision Map was formed. And just like every interview we do here, we’re going to start at the beginning—you know, for me, before the podcast, before the books, before the music, before the interviews.
I spent years in the corporate world. Three decades. I saw leadership up close. I watched how decisions were made. I saw systems and how they either supported the people or they quietly drained them. What I learned early on was that a lack of clarity at the top creates confusion everywhere else. People work harder, they stay busy, but progress slows. And at some point, I realized something important: I could keep helping someone execute—I could keep helping the company execute someone else’s vision—or I could take responsibility for building my own.
And that realization didn’t come with a plan, but it came with clarity. I knew I needed to do something. It was unavoidable. It was right there in front of me. I had to. And I didn’t start podcasting over a decade ago because I wanted to build a brand. No, that wasn’t why. Podcasting wasn’t really a strategy; it was maybe more of a curiosity. I wanted to learn from people who had actually built something, not theorized about it. People who had made hard decisions, taken real risks, and figured things out when there wasn’t a playbook. I didn’t have a playbook. I didn’t know where I was going. So I spoke to the best and finest that I could.
I started asking questions, and over time and hundreds of conversations, patterns began to emerge. Guys, success wasn’t random. No, it wasn’t luck. There was structure underneath it. And this goes into the birth of the Vision Map. When I started podcasting, I realized I needed my own game plan, something I could control, something I could do that was less—if there is a way to say it this way—less at the prey of the effects of others, less subject to the protocol. Something I could do anywhere in the world or, as best as possible, anywhere I want. Something that had more freedom to do what I felt was really important.
And, you know, across industries and backgrounds, these same elements kept showing up: Vision, Purpose, Objectives, Goals, Planning, and Execution. And here’s something important that I learned: I learned that a vision by itself doesn’t get anything done. A vision is essential, but it’s incomplete without structure. People weren’t failing because they lacked vision; they were failing because they didn’t know how to turn vision into action. They were missing a map.
That’s where the Vision Map came from. It’s not theory. It’s not trends, but real-world observation combined with my own experience building, adjusting, and learning along the way. I read books, I went to school, university. I learned from the best and brightest and finest that was available at the time, and I learned that I needed something more than just a vision. You could have a great vision, but you have to execute it. Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, Arnold Palmer, Jim Carrey—they had a vision and they stuck to it and they executed it. And that’s why you know those names that I’ve just cast off right now, because they followed through. They talk about vision casting and how important that is.
But sometimes it’s a little bit more, because you could have your vision, but you could still theoretically be sitting on the couch watching movies all day long, eating snacks, and never move forward. So it’s a little bit more than having that vision. But it’s the first, most important thing, because if you don’t have it, the rest doesn’t happen. So you need it. But by itself, it doesn’t do anything. By itself, it doesn’t have legs, it doesn’t get up, it doesn’t walk anywhere. So you need these other points, which I then put into the Vision Map to start with that vision: What am I doing? Where am I going? What’s happening?
Jordan Adler puts it in his book, Beach Money. He did a great job of communicating how it’s something that you see yourself doing in the future. And I’ve worked on it and refined it. I think more like a child—you know, you’re playing, you’re pretending, you’re seeing yourself in the future. I’m doing this, I’m doing that. And I started doing that. I see myself in the future interviewing millionaires and billionaires. Come on, Tony, really? I didn’t know any millionaires, let alone billionaires or anybody that you would call rich. But I put that vision there. I saw myself interviewing them, the top of the category in their industry. I just saw all this like a game, like a movie. And I was creating this movie, and I’m doing things and I’m creating information, I’m creating content. I’m helping people speed up their progress, their journey to success. And I developed these eight points, total eight points, in the Vision Map, which really kind of put it all together for me.
And just to give you an idea of the vision, and to make it clear, the dictionary says a vision is the ability to think about or plan the future with imagination or wisdom. Okay, so by itself, it doesn’t happen. But when you start putting all these other points in it that I’m going to tell you about in this interview, in this episode, then you’re going to start seeing it. And if you just come on, you’re listening to an interview with myself on vision and direction. We’re talking about building clarity, purpose, and momentum in an uncertain world. I’m Tony Durso, and also say Tony Durso: The American Way. And you can find out more about me at TonyDurso.com.
I’ve been interviewing other people in the top of their category for about eleven plus years now, and the show’s done well. All right. So during this time period, I’ve had the privilege of sitting across from people who have built extraordinary things and became very successful—mega successful. And here’s what I’ve learned: I learned that clarity matters more than intensity. I learned that vision lasts longer than tactics, and people who adapt intelligently tend to outlast those who don’t. Everything I’m about to share with you comes from that perspective: the wins, the mistakes, and the patterns that I’ve seen repeat again and again and again. And all of these interviews I’ve had—these hundreds and hundreds and hundreds—have helped refine and put together and distill the best of the best of the best in the Vision Map. So what I speak comes not just from my experience, but from the experience of the others that I’ve interviewed. And I’ve used this information, and I still use it right now, to build my brand, to build what some people call my empire.







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SPONSOR BREAK – SHOPIFY
TONY: Let’s walk the Vision Map together. Let’s go through it. Let’s go through it calmly, thoughtfully, without rushing. And I’ll tell you where to get more information on it later. But let’s just start here. Step one: Vision. I just gave you the definition earlier, and I want to make it very clear: it’s not a goal. A goal answers the question, "What do I want?" We’re going to go into that later. A vision answers the question, "What do I want my life and my work to stand for?" and "What do I see that I’ve accomplished? What am I accomplishing?" Now, I’m going to go over the fine line between some of these words. So I’m going to go over and bring clarity to that in just a moment. So just stick with me.
Vision gives you the direction, it provides context, and it helps you decide what matters and what doesn’t. Without vision, people stay busy. With vision, people make decisions. And it doesn’t have to be poetic. It has to be honest. It has to be, again, what you see yourself doing. And you see yourself doing that because of step two, which is the purpose, which is: Who are you? Who are you being? Are you a professor? Are you a teacher? Who are you? Well, vision (step one) is what you see yourself doing. You go into the future, you turn around and you go, "I’m doing this, I’m doing this, I’m doing this." These are actions, activities that you see yourself doing.
One thing I’ve learned over time is that clarity doesn’t come from moving faster. It comes from knowing what you’re building and putting the right structure underneath it. When the foundation is clear, decisions get simpler, momentum becomes steadier, and growth stops feeling fragile. That kind of certainty matters more than ever right now.
2026 is the year you stop waiting. Every January carries that fresh start energy, the feeling that this could finally be the year you act on the idea that’s been living in your head. We all have skills, experience, and ideas worth sharing. What holds most people back isn’t a talent; it’s taking the first real step. January is short, and if you let February arrive with the same old story, another year slips by. If 2026 is the year you rewrite your future, there’s one powerful move that makes it real: Starting your business with Shopify.
Maybe it’s a product people already tell you to sell, a brand you’ve imagined but never launched, and a business you’re ready to build on your terms. Shopify gives you everything you need to sell online and in person, all in one place. Millions of entrepreneurs have already made this leap, from first-time founders to some of the most recognizable brands in the world, and they all started the same way: by launching, by doing.
Shopify makes it easy to build your dream store with hundreds of beautiful templates you can customize to build your brand. No technical expertise required. Setup is fast, too. Shopify’s built-in AI tools help you write product descriptions and headlines, and even assist with editing product photos so you can focus on building, not figuring things out. And marketing is built right in. Create email campaigns, social posts, and promotions that reach customers wherever they scroll. And as your business grows, Shopify grows with you, helping you handle more orders, expand into new markets, and manage everything from one simple dashboard.
2026 isn’t about thinking bigger; it’s about starting smarter. And Shopify is how you turn an idea into momentum in 2026. Stop waiting and start selling with Shopify. Sign up for your one dollar per month trial and start selling today at Shopify.com. Go to Shopify.com. That’s Shopify.com. Here’s to your first—this new year with Shopify by your side.

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INTERVIEW – PART 2 (PURPOSE & ANALOGIES)
TONY: All right. Let’s continue. And there are—I’m going to be very polite—some people that are well-known who say the opposite. They say you need your purpose first or you need to know "Who are you?" first. And while it can be technically true, you still have to know what you see yourself doing and accomplishing. A crude concept or analogy to that is your vehicle. Your purpose is kind of like the gasoline, and your vehicle, of course, is maintained. It’s sitting there in your garage or your driveway, and it’s ready to go somewhere. That vision is going to help you. That vehicle is going to help you accomplish your vision. And it’s got gasoline in it. It’s got petrol, diesel, what have you. Or its electric or the batteries are all charged. It’s going to take you where you want to go. And it’s, again, not the best analogy, but you can think with it. That’s like the purpose. It helps take you somewhere.
Okay. So your vision is like the vehicle in that—the means of propulsion, let’s call it—that’s energized with fuel or battery or electricity or what have you. It’s going to take you there. That’s kind of like your purpose. Again, not the best analogy, but you quickly get it. So that’s why I say the vision comes first. The dictionary defines purpose as the reason for which something is done or created, and it kind of answers the question, "Is this worth doing when it gets hard?" You know, if you’ve heard any of my interviews where people have interviewed me, is it something you’ll get up early in the day and just do because you love it, but you don’t necessarily make any money at it and there’s no income to it? I love orchids. Would I get up and take care of my orchids? Absolutely, because I love them. Does it bring me any money? No. But it brings me a different kind of joy and pleasure, and that’s kind of the same way.
So when we talk about the purpose, we’re talking about something that is a motivation. It’s the reason why you’re doing it. It’s your meaning, because the work is going to get hard. You know, if you don’t have to get up that early in the AM, you wouldn’t necessarily get up early if you don’t have to. But something that makes you get up—that’s your purpose, okay? And it’s what you’re doing and why you’re doing what you’re doing. It’s why you want to accomplish something in the future. And it’s not the goal. It’s not the objective. It’s: Who are you? And it’s that being. It’s like, again, that petrol.

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INTERVIEW – PART 3 (OBJECTIVE, MASTER PLAN, & STRATEGY)


TONY: This is all going to come together now with step three: Objective. So we have vision—consider this upside-down pyramid. And the long, broad first level is vision. It’s broad. Then there’s purpose. And then underneath that is objective. Now I call it objective for very, very, very good reason. Let’s see here: it’s the thing aimed for in your goal. Now, I don’t call it a goal because there’s too many goals. There’s goals you can do in five minutes, one day, a week, a month, a quarter, a year, a ten-year goal. There’s a ball in a net. There’s too many definitions of goal. So I call it an objective.
What is it that you want to produce, you want to accomplish for your company, your business, your relationship, whatever it is? Generally—I say generally, we can explain more on that—one to two years. Where do you see yourself going if at all possible? And yes, the world changes. It changes tomorrow. It changes the next day. It changes fast. But based on what you know, it’s very important: Where do you want to see yourself going? Do you want to take your product and services into different markets, different parts of the world? These still stay strong even though political, social, economic, and other factors may interfere with it. So you’ve got to think far down the line and not be defeated by all the news that’s going to come out tomorrow when something’s going to happen. You know, tariffs are going to change products, I won’t be able to ship to China, or whatever it could be. Don’t defeat yourself right away. Stay with your vision. Stay with what you want to accomplish. And you can modify that based on something major or great that may change in the world.
So it gives you direction, the vision. The purpose gives fuel. The objective creates focus. It answers the question, "What am I intentionally working towards right now?" because without a clear objective, effort gets diluted, and that’s where focus begins.
So these are general steps here. This is not a masterclass, necessarily, in everything because this has taken me years and years and years to put together. And this is really deep thinking. I’m just touching the high level. I’m going to give you a draft—a free draft of all of these points and some further discussion on them—at the end of this little interview that I’m doing here. But let’s carry on the Vision Map.
Step four: Step four is a master plan. Now this is where, again, on that upside-down pyramid, things are getting a little bit more—more clarity comes in. Certainty comes in, okay? It brings certainty. And that’s not from being optimistic; it comes from structure. You’re going to come up with and write—and you should have—a master plan. It’s a multi-year outline that shows how your vision can realistically be achieved and how you can accomplish what you want to accomplish. And again, as we mentioned, it’s not rigid. It can change, but it’s still deliberate. You still know you’re going to go somewhere. You know you have a product or a service and you’re going to go and produce that and get that out. You’re not going to just switch and sell coconuts in Thailand or something else like that, necessarily. You’re not going to shift. You’re going to keep on with your product, with your service, with your business, and keep going with that.
And it’s important to understand that you’re going to write this master plan, and it’s practical. This is not to inspire you, not to motivate you. It’s to remove guesswork. When you have a master plan on your product or service, you stop wondering if it can work and you start focusing on how to make it work. Your dream is good. Your purpose is good. Knowing what you want to accomplish—now you’ve got a plan. And there are two main parts of that plan: there’s strategy and there’s tactical execution.
So let’s talk about this. Strategy means your overall aim or your plan in accomplishing that long-term objective. The dictionary says strategy is relating to the identification of long-term or overall aims and interests and the means of achieving them. So the first section of your master plan should list out how you’re going to accomplish your long-term objective over the period of time. How are you going to do it? How and what do you have to do? What do you have to accomplish? What do you have to deal with? What barriers are there? How are you going to do it? Have you thought about this in your product or service line, in your company? Whether you’re a startup or you’ve been around, whether you’re at six or seven digits or you’re trying to break into eight, have you really thought about this? Have you really deeply spent some time? You need to study this thoroughly.
And that brings us into step five: Strategy. Which is, once that master plan exists and some of these points are in place, now how are you going to move forward? That’s where the strategy comes in. It’s not activity, it’s not hustle. It’s that mindset of knowing what’s needed, how you are going to do it. And it’s not really doing everything all at once, guys. It’s choice. It’s deciding how you are going to approach the next phase of your vision, given the resources you have, the constraints, and the news that you just heard, and given your real life. How are you going to do this?
And this is where people struggle. They confuse strategy with tactics. You know, strategy is—let’s take the military sense—you know that a certain island or point or promontory or whatever region is very key. And if you can control that, you can control commerce better. You can control the ingress and egress, and you can control various shifting of things. And you know you need this area. So you’ve decided that’s a good and a strategic plan to take that hill, to take this island, to what have you. So you know that that’s important, okay? So that’s strategy, not tactics.
Okay. A good strategy answers questions like: What market am I really serving? What’s the market? Where does my effort have to have the highest leverage? What do I need to say no to right now? What sequence makes sense? It helps you to bring in order. It simplifies your decision-making. You have trouble making decisions with your company? Take a look at the strategy, and it should be written out, guys. It’s not just, "Oh, I have it in my head," because I know people that have been there, done that, and it doesn’t always work that way. You need something that’s all written, all worked out, and you need the people that are working with you, especially at C-level, and your subs and the people that you hire out and your agents—they all need to know these top three things: your company’s vision, your purpose, and your strategy. If they don’t know these points, how can they help you out? And that’s where mistakes come in.
When the strategy is clear, you stop reacting to everything that comes your way. How about that? You stop reacting. You start doing. You stop chasing every opportunity, and you start building momentum instead of motion. You know, I’ve been there, done that. Everything that came by, I looked at it. "Is this an opportunity? Is this key? Is this crucial?" You could spend a lot of time—you can spend forever just studying emails that you get. But you need to make decisions and you need to build momentum. And you really need to understand yourself—what opportunities you need to chase or work on or not. You know, this is something I’ve seen repeatedly over the years, and I’ve seen burnout because of this. Because people don’t burn out because they’re weak. They burn out because they’re trying to execute without strategy, guys. Strategy gives your effort a direction. So think about that. Really spend some time with that.









SPONSOR BREAK – SHOPIFY 
TONY: One thing I’ve learned over time is that clarity doesn’t come from moving faster. It comes from knowing what you’re building and putting the right structure underneath it. When the foundation is clear, decisions get simpler, momentum becomes steadier, and growth stops feeling fragile. That kind of certainty matters more than ever right now.
2026 is the year you stop waiting. Every January carries that fresh start energy, the feeling that this could finally be the year you act on the idea that’s been living in your head. We all have skills, experience, and ideas worth sharing. What holds most people back isn’t a talent; it’s taking the first real step. January is short, and if you let February arrive with the same old story, another year slips by. If 2026 is the year you rewrite your future, there’s one powerful move that makes it real: Starting your business with Shopify.
Maybe it’s a product people already tell you to sell, a brand you’ve imagined but never launched, a business you’re ready to build on your terms. Shopify gives you everything you need to sell online and in person, all in one place. Millions of entrepreneurs have already made this leap, from first-time founders to some of the most recognizable brands in the world, and they all started the same way: by launching, by doing.
Shopify makes it easy to build your dream store with hundreds of beautiful templates you can customize to build your brand. No technical expertise required. Setup is fast, too. Shopify’s built-in AI tools help you write product descriptions and headlines, and even assist with editing product photos so you can focus on building, not figuring things out. And marketing is built right in. Create email campaigns, social posts, and promotions that reach customers wherever they scroll. And as your business grows, Shopify grows with you, helping you handle more orders, expand into new markets, and manage everything from one simple dashboard.
2026 isn’t about thinking bigger; it’s about starting smarter. And Shopify is how you turn an idea into momentum in 2026. Stop waiting and start selling with Shopify. Sign up for your one dollar per month trial and start selling today at Shopify.com. Go to Shopify.com. That’s Shopify.com. Here’s to your first—this new year with Shopify by your side.



________________________________________
INTERVIEW – PART 4 (TACTICAL EXECUTION & 30-60-90 DAYS)


TONY: And once that direction is clear, you can move to the next step, which is Tactical. In that military sense I said, "We’re going to take that hill." All right. How are we going to do that? Here’s Tactical. Tactical—the definition says: relating to or constituting actions carefully planned to gain a specific military purpose or advantage. The second step of your master plan should list out those broad actions that you need to accomplish. This is where your master plan becomes real. This is where you take that strategy and you translate it into specific actions. Not "someday" actions, not vague intentions—actual things that you can do.
This is the step most people jump to first. They just jump out and wing it. Been there, done that. But without that strategy, you’re asking for a catastrophe. And that’s usually where things go wrong. So people start asking, "What should I do today?" because they’ve answered, "What am I building and why?" And when tactics are aligned with strategy, they compound. When they’re not, they exhaust you. Your tactical plan should answer questions like: What am I working on this week? What actions directly support my strategy? What can be delegated, delayed, or removed? What actually moves this forward?
And this is also where discipline starts to matter—not discipline in the motivational sense, but discipline in choosing the right actions consistently. The goal of the tactical step is not to do more; it’s to do the right things repeatedly over time. And when tactics are aligned, something interesting happens. Progress starts to feel grounded instead of frantic, which actually leads into the next step.
Step seven, which I call 30, 60, 90 days. And I’m going to explain that. You know, this is something I’ve learned not just as a business owner, but as a person. Every meaningful chapter of my life came after I slowed down long enough to listen—not just to the numbers, but to what felt right and what needed adjusting. Whether it was in business, music, or faith, the lesson has been the same: clarity doesn’t come from forcing answers. It comes from staying honest with yourself as you move forward. That’s something worth carrying with you.
And before we continue, I just want to take a moment to thank you for being here. Thank you for your time and attention—it truly matters to me, and I appreciate you choosing to spend part of your day with the Tony Durso Show. If today’s episode is giving you something to think about, I invite you to follow the show and share it with someone who might benefit. That simple act helps this conversation reach more entrepreneurs and leaders who care about building something meaningful.
And if you’re not already receiving my Elite Entrepreneurs newsletter, you’re always welcome to join us. A couple of times a month, I share insights from conversations like this, along with practical ideas you can apply on your journey. It’s free, thoughtful, and designed to help you move forward with clarity and purpose. You can find it at TonyDurso.com. And if you’re curious about another creative side of what I do, you can explore my music anytime at TonyDurso.com.
All right. Let’s continue. This is where the rubber meets the road. It’s the window—30 to 90-day window. It’s one of the most important parts of the Vision Map in step seven, because this is where plans stop being ideas and they start being tested. Because you can have a beautiful vision, you can have a clear purpose, you can have a well-thought-out master plan—all these things could be perfect—but until you put it into the real world, you don’t actually know what works.
The first 30, 60, 90 days are about engagement. You’re executing. You’re paying attention. You’re learning how the market responds. Now, you hoped it would respond—you know how it actually responds. And then maybe at 60 days, patterns begin to show up. You start to see what’s gaining traction, what’s being ignored, what’s costing too much time or energy, what’s starting to generate results. And over the next few more days or weeks, clarity sharpens and you begin to see whether your strategy really holds up, whether your tactics are effective. You know, you begin—you start seeing that income is possible or income is being made. Because, you know, most businesses—there are businesses that detract from the rule—but if you have a product or a service and you don’t see any income or something really substantial coming that shows income is possible within 90 days, then what are you doing?
Now this is different. You know, you need that proof of concept. And when you start seeing income or you see that it’s happening and it’s going together, and you can make those adjustments to make income—because isn’t that what it’s all about? You need to make income to feed your family and so forth. So while there are exceptions to the rule, if you don’t see in 90 days something happening, then you know you don’t have it quite right.
And it doesn’t take 90 days. You know, I’m just going to make this up: you’re brand new, you’re looking for something great, and you’re going to put a mastermind together and you go, "Okay, let’s do it at sea." You get ten people putting in ten thousand dollars, and you do, you know, you do a week-long cruise and you do a special mastermind with them. Boom. You know, it takes you 30, 60 days max to get that put together and promoted. And you get your proof of concept very, very fast. It doesn’t take more than 90 days to start generating some good income or some good proof of concept on it. Because if you’re going to spend your time, your years, whatever, you need to know what’s going to happen. You need to know what’s real.
And this is where I want to be very honest with you. Plans are nice, but you have to make money to live. I know I just said that in a different way earlier. So if the income is not showing up, it doesn’t mean you failed. But it does mean something earlier in the map needs to be examined. Now let me clarify this. I probably should have done it earlier. It’s a map. MAP. You know, today’s different—different world with electronics and cell phones and GPS and all that. But just humor me here. Shut it all off. Hop in the car, in a vehicle, and tell the family, "We’re going on vacation." Okay? We’re going on vacation. Where are we going? Mount Rushmore. Okay, great. Where is it? I don’t know. You don’t? You’re not using any map or GPS? Nothing. Let’s go down the street. Let’s go down the street. Let’s go down this street. Where is it? Maybe it’s this way. Well, the sun’s this way. Let’s go this way. How long is it going to take you to find Mount Rushmore and go there and enjoy your vacation?
And you’re going, "Tony, come on. We use a map—paper, electronic." And that’s the point. And that’s the point Tony’s making for your business, for your product, for your service, for whatever you’re going to execute—for a relationship. You need to have that understanding. This is my vision. This is my purpose. This is my objective. This is what I want to accomplish. And yes, tomorrow and the next day and next month, the news is going to say something’s changed, something’s different. Who knows what that’s going to be? But right now, you know, this is what you want to do. And you can make it to Mount Rushmore a lot faster, a lot quicker, and have a lot more fun with the family because you have a map.
So don’t be discouraged by this. Be empowered. Realize you need a map. You’re going, "Tony, I would never go on vacation with the family without some kind of guidance." And that’s exactly what I say for your business. Because now you’re not guessing; you’re diagnosing, right? You’re going through all these steps and you’re determining—and you’re going—you’re reading them down and you’re reading them up. This upside-down pyramid with your vision, your purpose, your long-term objective, your master plan, your strategy, your tactical, your 30, 60, 90—you’ve got it all worked out.
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INTERVIEW – PART 5 (ADAPTATION & DAILY ACTION)
TONY: And this is something that, by working it, makes it more real to you. It’s not pie in the sky. It’s not, "I’ve got a piece of software I’m going to sell, but here’s a home in Jamaica, and then here’s a vacation place in France, and I’m going to go to Germany and cook." You’re not desperate. You’re not, like, all out of sync. Everything synchronizes with everything else. Everything makes sense with everything else. Okay? So that’s why I’m just taking this big pause here so that you really, really get it.
And if something breaks during your 30, 60, 90-day phase—if something breaks or doesn’t work—that’s the feedback you want. You know, that’s what the system is supposed to do. It’s supposed to point out your weakness. So you go, "Oh, I’ve got to figure out this. My tactical isn’t good, or my strategy wasn’t good, or the news came out and something’s changed." So you’ve got to work on it. Now, a lot of people quit because they can’t succeed because they misinterpret the signs—the feedback. They don’t look at it as guidance. You’re going to start doing that. If something goes wrong, consider it as guidance. Oh, we don’t want to hear that. I don’t want to hear that. We don’t want anything to go wrong. But consider it that you’ve been guided—a hidden, an invisible mentor told you to go that way, not this way. And that’s guidance.
And when you’re able to make money and you’ve got your proof of concept and you see your product working and in your 30, 60, 90 days—that’s where your confidence becomes earned. It’s not imagined. It’s not borrowed. It’s earned because now you’re dealing with reality, not just assumptions. So, see, we went from this dream in your mind to working out a plan on paper to now—you really see the reality of it. This piece of technology, or this program, or this software, or this whatever really does work exactly as I thought. That this step—30, 60, 90—this all working on it gets you grounded. It keeps your plan honest. It connects you to results. The rubber is—is smoky now on the road.
Okay. And now that you’ve worked out these seven steps, the eighth step just falls off the log. And this is where it all happens. Without this eighth step, nothing happens, because it’s what you do on a day-to-day basis. What you have your employees, your assigns, your subs, your agents—what you have them do. That’s where you see it all working. You’ve worked out this plan in the real world. You’ve seen what is going to happen or not, and you’ve adapted. Because there are changes from what you think it should be to what it really is. I mean, I don’t know anybody that’s created something out of their mind and it’s been perfect and never got changed once things happened. Guys, adaptation doesn’t mean changing your vision every time that things go wrong or go uncomfortable. It’s adjusting your approach without abandoning your direction.
One thing I’ve learned over time is that clarity doesn’t come from moving faster. It comes from knowing what you’re building and putting the right structure underneath it. When the foundation is clear, decisions get simpler, momentum becomes steadier, and growth stops feeling fragile. That kind of certainty matters more than ever right now.
2026 is the year you stop waiting. Every January carries that fresh start energy, the feeling that this could finally be the year you act on the idea that’s been living in your head. We all have skills, experience, and ideas worth sharing. What holds most people back isn’t a talent; it’s taking the first real step. January is short, and if you let February arrive with the same old story, another year slips by. If 2026 is the year you rewrite your future, there’s one powerful move that makes it real: Starting your business with Shopify.
Maybe it’s a product people already tell you to sell, a brand you’ve imagined but never launched, and a business you’re ready to build on your terms. Shopify gives you everything you need to sell online and in person, all in one place. Millions of entrepreneurs have already made this leap, from first-time founders to some of the most recognizable brands in the world, and they all started the same way: by launching, by doing.
Shopify makes it easy to build your dream store with hundreds of beautiful templates you can customize to build your brand. No technical expertise required. Setup is fast, too. Shopify’s built-in AI tools help you write product descriptions and headlines, and even assist with editing product photos so you can focus on building, not figuring things out. And marketing is built right in. Create email campaigns, social posts, and promotions that reach customers wherever they scroll. And as your business grows, Shopify grows with you, helping you handle more orders, expand into new markets, and manage everything from one simple dashboard.
2026 isn’t about thinking bigger; it’s about starting smarter. And Shopify is how you turn an idea into momentum in 2026. Stop waiting and start selling with Shopify. Sign up for your one dollar per month trial and start selling today at Shopify.com. Go to Shopify.com. That’s Shopify.com. Here’s to your first—this new year with Shopify by your side.
And before we continue, I just want to take a moment to thank you for being here. Thank you for your time and attention—it truly matters to me, and I appreciate you choosing to spend part of your day with the Tony Durso Show. If today’s episode is giving you something to think about, I invite you to follow the show and share it with someone who might benefit. That simple act helps this conversation reach more entrepreneurs and leaders who care about building something meaningful.
And if you’re not already receiving my Elite Entrepreneurs newsletter, you’re always welcome to join us. A couple of times a month, I share insights from conversations like this, along with practical ideas you can apply on your journey. It’s free, thoughtful, and designed to help you move forward with clarity and purpose. You can find it at TonyDurso.com. Oh, and if you’re curious about another creative side of what I do, you can explore my music anytime at TonyDurso.com.
All right, let’s continue. I’ve said it too many times: the world changes, markets shift, technology evolves. My last episode—I mentioned this before—what’s happening with AI is astounding. Who even knows what’s going to happen next week? People change. Rigid plans break. Clear visions adapt. Something I’ve learned over the last eleven years: I’ve adapted and changed. And let me tell you, there have been a lot of changes, a great many in my industry, in the industry before, but you have to know how to adapt and use that plan, guys.
Every meaningful breakthrough that I’ve experienced has come after an adjustment, not stubbornly holding on to what used to work. I’ve worked with bosses that way: won’t change, won’t change, and won’t change. And you don’t hear from them anymore. So when you adapt, it makes you ask a very mature question: guys, what’s changing and how do I respond without losing myself? That’s leadership, guys. That’s where many people get it wrong. They confuse adaptation with starting over, or they confuse it with quitting. It’s neither. It’s refinement. It’s learning. It’s staying engaged with reality while remaining committed to your vision. When you adapt thoughtfully, you don’t lose momentum. You regain it. You stop fighting the environment, you start working with it. And over time, this becomes one of your greatest strengths. Adaptation isn’t failure. I don’t know what it is—its intelligence. It’s PI—People Intelligence. It’s experience. And it’s one of the reasons that some people last and go on to make mega-bazillions while others burn out.
And that’s what you have to do. And yes, you know, you’ve got to sleep and take breaks, and you’ve got to take your vacations and take your family on trips, and you have to do all these things, but you have to work at it every day, because if you don’t work at it, how is success going to happen? You have to do some work on it. Even if it’s having other people do the work for you, you still need to do some work on it.
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CLOSING MESSAGE
TONY: Now, I’ve mentioned this before and it’s really, really important: You don’t need to master the Vision Map today. It took me years to put this together. I would say I’ve refined it multiple times and it’s a really great working model right now. What you do need to do is start walking it. Clarity comes before confidence. Direction comes before speed. If this episode helped you slow down or think more clearly, then we did its job. And if you want to explore this further, I’ve shared some supportive material in the Community Resources section at TonyDurso.com.
For now, take one step. One honest reflection. One intentional decision. You don’t need more hustle. You need a map. So you get your vision in place. You establish your purpose. You set your long-term objective—so it’s what you see yourself doing. Why are you doing it? Who are you being? Who are you and what have you seen? What are you accomplishing? What do you see yourself accomplishing? That objective is something that’s in your hand.
I wrote a book. It’s a bestseller. You know, it happens to be in the backdrop. I wrote a book. It’s my objective. I wrote this book. It’s in my hand. It’s done. It’s physical, it’s real. It made number one internationally. That’s a real thing. It’s not pie in the sky. It really, really did. I accomplished something—that was an accomplishment that was in my long-term objective. When I wrote the book, it wasn’t just to write the book to amuse myself, but it was to help engage other people and give them that break. Because you need that break. You were not able to work twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, literally. You need time to sleep, take a break, and have some good healthy food. Extrovert your attention on other things. And my fiction books, as well as my music, help to do that, to give you that break, which is a whole separate topic because that refortifies you. So that’s very, very important.
So that’s step three. And then your master plan is step four. Your strategy is step five. Your tactical is step six. And then your 30, 60, 90 days—the rubber’s on that road. And it better be smoking, and some income better come in. You better have that proof of concept. That’s your step seven.
And step eight: I call it very, very simply, "Things to do." It’s just two, two simple things to do for something so important. And it’s what you do every day, and you and those that work for you or that you hire. And I have used many, many systems in the past in my corporate career and so forth, and I never found anything as good as just an old-fashioned pen and paper. Write it down, and then it’s there and you can always look at it. It doesn’t matter if the electricity shuts off, if the computer breaks, or if you lost your computer or the laptop, or you traveled somewhere and you don’t have your material. You always have that pen and that paper, and it’s not even a joke. And I’m not even trying to be silly. I have everything written on a pen and paper, and it just doesn’t matter from that point of view. If I can’t find something on my computer or on my desktop or in my files, I’ve got that pen, I’ve got that paper that says, "These are the things to do today."
And if you don’t do that, try it and you’ll find an incredible joy—an inner joy. I’m not being silly. When you cross off that—whatever that is that you accomplish—not that you start out, but it’s done. You know, get this done today and you cross it off. It’s a good feeling. And your day now is a compilation—your life on that product or service that you’ve created is a matter of all those wins. "I did this, I accomplished this, I accomplished this, I accomplished this." And things change, and you have to change them or redo them.
And I’ve accomplished so many things, and just launching the podcast and getting things done. There’s so many moving parts, and I’ve had it where it’s been an electronic system and it would get lost on the computer, or you’ve got to move it out of the way, or it’s annoying to have these notifications and bells and whistles telling you to get something done. Your piece of paper sits there quietly and it doesn’t bug you, and you just have to look at it and go, "What else was that? What was that thing? Oh, here it is, I—oh yeah, I’ve got to work on this." And it keeps you going. It keeps you going from one step to the next to the next. And you’ve got to try it. You just have to try it. If you’re not working with a pen and paper on the key actions of your Vision Map, then you quite don’t know how good it can get until you do that. Because I’ve done it both worlds, and there’s nothing like having it on a piece of paper.
All right. I’ve said a lot of stuff. I can go on. I’ll do more about this. This is what I’ve lived and breathed. And I did have an idea in my mind as a vision when I started podcasting, and here it is: I’ve actually gone about and created it. Five times a bestseller with my books, number one show on Chartable worldwide, fifty million listens. These are real things accomplished because I have a Vision Map that told me how to go, and I just kept working it. And you know this because you’re a CEO, you’re a founder. It’s those little things. It doesn’t mean anything, but they stack up and they stack up and they stack up and they stack up. And next thing you know, you’ve got this thriving, booming, improving business. So you know what I’m talking about.
All right. Once again, I’m Tony Durso. We talked about vision and direction, building clarity, purpose, and momentum in an uncertain world. You can find me at TonyDurso.com. And you can get the—by the way, if you want to explore this further, just go to the Community Resources section at TonyDurso.com. I give away the map there for free. All right. If you like this, if you like what I’ve said, if something has resonated, you do me a favor: tell some of your friends, share this with them. Tell them about this Vision Map and what I’ve been through and accomplished. And wherever you’re getting this, guys, would you please follow the show? It helps to bring more amazing guests to you.
All right. Thank you, thank you, and thank you. All right. Use this and let’s help you move on your journey to success. Thanks. So remember, just take action. Success awaits those who persevere and remain steadfast despite the odds. So good seeds do good deeds, and I’ll see you on the next episode.

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SONG INTRO & LYRICS – “IN GOD WE TRUST”
TONY: And before we close today’s episode, I want to share something special with you, something I mentioned at the start of the show. This is my brand new song, inspired by four powerful words printed on every US coin and every dollar. You’ve seen these words your entire life, but when you hear them as a song, they carry a whole new meaning. It’s called "In God We Trust." Here it is.
Walking by a bus stop. Not even a book.
Feeling everything is just plain old. Stuck.
A dime on the ground I held it to the light.
What it said restored my sight.
In God we trust. The words shine true.
Guiding my steps. And all I do.
Through trials and storms I find my place
in God we trust. Amazing grace.
Yeah. I took the next bus, though my pocket had no fare.
I told the driver my life with a humble prayer.
He gave a smile and said, go on, son.
I knew then that my hope had begun.
In God we trust the word shine through,
guiding my steps and all I do.
Through trials and storms I find my place
in God we trust. Amazing grace.
I found a diner with a crowd at the door
and asked the kind lady if I could do more.
She smiled and said, you can stay if you try
with the dime in my hand. I whispered on high.
When the road feels heavy and hope runs thin.
That coin reminds me where faith begins.
One small coin, yeah. The truth so wide.
In God we trust forever. My God.
In God we trust. The word shines through.
Guiding my steps and all I do.
Through trials and storms I find my place
in God we trust. Amazing grace.
Forever we sing. God we trust.
Forever we sing. In God we trust.
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FINAL CLOSING / SIGN-OFF
TONY: And that is "In God We Trust"—the song that truly came to me as a gift from God. I hope you enjoy it and I’d love to hear your feedback. Thank you for listening and thank you for spending this time with me today. I hope this episode and this song gives you something meaningful to take with you.
And by the way, this song is part of my very first album, which is now out. If you want to hear more of the new music, visit TonyDurso.com. That’s TonyDurso.com. I appreciate you. Thanks. So remember, just take action. Success awaits those who persevere and remain steadfast despite the odds. So good seeds do good deeds, and I’ll see you on the next episode.
Your support means the world to me, and I truly appreciate you following and listening to the Tony DUrso Show. If you’re finding value in today’s episode, please hit that follow button and share the show with someone who would benefit. It really helps us reach more entrepreneurs and leaders who need this kind of insight.
And if you haven’t yet, make sure you’re getting my Elite Entrepreneurs newsletter. Twice a month, I break down lessons from top guests, I share book and podcast highlights, and give you tools to move forward in your journey to success. No cost, no fluff, just real value. Join me at TonyDurso.com. Let’s grow together and keep rising. Tony DUrso.